SherpaUW


SherpaUW stands on the basin floor with the yellow AUV Leng hovering above Bild: Thomas Frank, DFKI
SherpaUW in DFKI’s maritime water basin. The AUV Leng is visible in the background
Contact person:
Dr.-Ing. Leif Christensen

Technical Details

Size: The system has variable dimensions; smallest footprint: 1m x 1m, biggest footprint: 2.4m x 2.4m. Height ranges from 0.8m to 1.8m
Weight: Approx 200kg
Power supply:
LiPo primary battery: 44,4 V; 10 Ah LiPosecondary battery: 44,4 V; 10 Ah (autonomous hot switching) Alternatively: External AC/DC Power Supply
Speed: 0.7 m/s (max), 0.1 m/s (nominal)
Actuation/ Engine:
4-wheel drive with active ground adaption,
alternatively short traverses of walking motion
Sensors:
- Force-Torque sensor FT-DELTA 160 at each wheel
- Inertial Measurement Unit KVH 1750
- USBL Evologics S2CR 48/78
- Camera Basler ACE
- LED lamps Bowtech
- Obstacle Avoidance Sonar Tritech Micron DST
- DVL Rowe SeaPilot
- Distributed Magnetometer Array
- Laser line projector
Communication:
Gigabit Ethernet (with umbilical), up to 31.2 kbit/s (acoustic without umbilical)
On-Board Computer:
IntelCore i7-4785T, 2,2GHz
Structure and Mechanisms:
- 6 DoF Manipulator
- 4x 5DoF Suspension Units

Organisational Details

Application Field: Underwater Robotics
Related Projects: MARIOW
Maritime AI-Guided & Remote Operated Welding (10.2022- 09.2025)
UWS
Evaluation of a novel technology for underwater robotic welding in the ports of Bremen. (04.2026- 03.2027)
REMARO
Reliable AI for Marine Robotics (12.2020- 11.2024)
TransTerrA
Semi-autonomous cooperative exploration of planetary surfaces including the installation of a logistic chain as well as consideration of the terrestrial applicability of individual aspects (05.2013- 12.2017)
Related Robots: SherpaTT
Sherpa
Expandable Rover for Planetary Applications
Leng
Exploration AUV for long-distance-missions
DAGON

Funding

Funding note
Funded by the German Space Agency (DLR Agentur) with federal funds of the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology in accordance with the parliamentary resolution of the German Parliament. Grant no. 50 RA 1301.

System description

The green AUV Leng docked on top of SherpaUW, seen from above in the basin Bild: DFKI
AUV Leng and SherpaUW after a successful docking procedure. High-speed data communication is possible in this configuration.
SherpaUW stands on a ramp in the basin and operates a valve mock-up with its arm Bild: Thomas Frank, DFKI
SherpaUW operates a valve mock-up while standing on a slope and leveling the body using its active suspension system. The active body control allows to increase the workspace of the manipulation arm.
SherpaUW stands beside the basin with its floodlights on before diving Bild: Thomas Frank, DFKI
SherpaUW during subsystem test prior to submerging into DFKI RIC’s test basin.

SherpaUW is a hybrid walking and driving exploration rover for subsea applications. The locomotive system consists of four legs with 5 active DoF each. Additionally, a 6 DoF manipulation arm is available. All joints of the legs and the manipulation arm are sealed against water. The arm is pressure compensated, allowing the deployment in deep sea applications.

The actuators are rated for depths up to 100m without oil filling, while 6.000m are rated for pressure compensated actuators.

Possible areas of application include surveillance and maintenance for underwater infrastructures, exploration and resource utilization and research on maritime deep sea life. The rover can be deployed as a single system or as part of a maritime multi-robot system.

SherpaUW’s hybrid crawler-design is intended to allow for extended long-term missions on the sea floor. Since it requires no extra energy to maintain its posture and position compared to traditional underwater ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles), SherpaUW is well suited for repeated and precise sampling operations, for example monitoring black smockers over a longer period of time.

Videos

SherpaUW: Tests with hybrid underwater rover in the maritime exploration hall

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